By: Angela Soric
Where are your friends?
Location aware services are becoming increasingly popular among Smartphone users. Applications such as Loopt, Brightkite (formerly known as Limbo) and whrrl have been quickly adopted by iPhone users. Location-based social networks run primarily on Smartphones by leveraging GPS or cellular tower triangulation. The social network then uses your location to reveal nearby friends and places of interest.
Google has recently launched a new feature in Google Maps called Latitude, which is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch. The geo-location based web app includes basic search and direction functionality. It allows iPhone users to see the location of their friends on a map, users are then given the option to text, email, IM as well as get directions to their friend’s current location. The service won’t pinpoint the exact location but you’ll get a good idea of where your friends are.
Before you start looking over your shoulder remember that Latitude is an opt-in application and is easily modified to fit your privacy needs. You can choose who is allowed to see your location and if you’re trying to avoid a certain person, simply tap “hide from a friend”.
To launch Latitude, users can type Google.com/latitude into their iPhone’s browser. If iPhone users want the app to launch directly from their home screen, they can add a bookmark to the home screen by opening Latitude in Safari and tapping the + icon > Add to Home Screen > Add.
Why is it done this way? Google stated that Apple requested Latitude to be released as a web application in order to avoid confusion with maps on the iPhone. Google explained that the company worked closely with Apple to create the Latitude experience that works around Apple’s inability to run apps in the background. However, locations will be updated as soon as iPhone users launch the application.
Google’s Latitude web app runs on the iPhone operating system 3.0. It is currently available in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, US and UK.
